Mining coroner's jury hears hazards of water in mines

Jurors at a coroner's inquest in Sudbury are learning about how dangerous water can be to workers underground, after two miners were killed by an uncontrolled run of muck at Stobie Mine in 2011.

The jury looking into the deaths of Jordan Fram and Jason Chenier is underway in Sudbury.

On Monday, the jury heard how water and sand caused blockages in tunnels in the days before their deaths, as engineers spoke of how the 100 year old Stobie Mine was infamous for being wet.

Mine manager John O'Shaughnessy described how two big open pit mines were excavated on the site during World War One, and said today, they act like funnels for rainwater, sending it down into the mine.

Engineer Timothy Hunt said water mixes with sand created from blasting rock, and combined, water and sand turn into a sticky substance called slime.

The material can compact and clog a vertical tunnel known as an ore pass, and water pooling on top of the blockage can liquefy the material and make it fall uncontrollably.

During the days leading up to the tragedy, Chenier had e-mailed his supervisors, and said there was a problem with water in an ore pass.

Hunt said on a tour of the mine, he noted blocked drains and flooding, but added it was his understanding the problem was solved, either with blasting or the water had just fallen through.

Fram and Chenier were buried in a run of sand, water and rock while investigating a clogged ore pass.

This week and next are set aside for the inquiry.